An example of a known paint tray carrier is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,877 issued on Apr. 25, 1978 to Hildebrand (hereinafter “Hildebrand”). The paint tray carrier of Hildebrand has a horizontal handle and adjustable tubular members which allow the carrier to be adapted for use with paint trays of different sizes. The paint tray carrier of Hildebrand is limited to use on level surfaces.
Various apparatuses have been developed for holding paint containers on inclined surfaces, such as rooftops. An example of paint can holder for use on an inclined surface is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,193 issued to Drucker on Jun. 8, 1993 (hereinafter “Drucker”). U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,782 issued to Monaco, et al. on Jun. 22, 1999 (hereinafter “Monaco, et al.”) and U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2002/0027091 A1 of Brown published Mar. 7, 2002 (hereinafter “Brown”) discloses respectively a rooftop platform and roof toolbox. Drucker shows a paint can holder having a tray and adjustable legs. The legs are adjustable by sliding the legs up and down through holes in the tray. Brown shows a rooftop toolbox having a central tray, a pair of support legs and a pair of adjustable pin assemblies. The pair of support legs are pivotably attached to the central tray and are adjustable by means of pin assemblies. Monaco, et al. discloses a platform for use on a roof. Foldable legs are provided on a table structure.
Various carriers for paint trays are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,549 issued to M. J. Villiano on May 19, 1992 discloses a single upstanding arm which extends over a paint tray when in use and a coupler for coupling the arm to the tray.
All of these known assemblies have drawbacks. Bending is required by the painter while maintaining clear access to the paint. Furthermore, none of the known apparatuses allow use on level and inclined surfaces, as well as stairs.